Belgrade Old Town – Stari Grad

Stari grad Municipality (Belgrade Old Town) reflects the history of Belgrade more than two millenniums long. The main pedestrian zone, Knez – Mihailova Street, is protected by the state as one of the oldest and most valuable monumental units, with a series of representative buildings from the late 1870’s.

The Belgrade Fortress, a unique historical museum, was being built and disappearing between the 1st and 18th century. From Roman Castel, through Byzantine and the remains of medieval capital of Serbian Despotate, until Austrian – ottoman fortification. It is comprised of the Upper Town ( Despot’s Gate, Sahat Tower, Woman Well, statue of the Victor), Lower Town (Nebojša Tower, Amam, The Gate of Carl VII ) and Kalemegdan Park. Belgrade Fortress offers an exciting view of the Confluence, New Belgrade and Zemun. It holds the Art Pavilion „Cvijeta Zuzorić“ , the Zoo, a large number of monuments and sculptures.

Kalemgdan park

In Kosančićev Venac there is the Princess Ljubica’s Residence, residence of the wife of Prince Miloš Obrenović, an example of Baroque arcjitectural style ( today it belongs to the Belgrade City Museum ). On Fridays and Saturdays, visitors of the Residence can learn more about this period within the program „ Coffee with Princess Ljubica“. Upon the order od Prince Miloš, in the place of the former one, the Congregational Church ( Temple of holy Archangel Michael ) was built. It preserves icons and goldsmith works from the period between the 17th and 20th century. The church holds the graves of princes Miloš and Mihailo Obrenović, in the yard of the great names in Serbian culture Dositej Obradović and Vuk Karadžić. In Kralja Petra I Street there is the „Question Mark“ , the oldest preserved tavern in Belgrade. This is where the first billiard was played in Belgrade and where the first reading room of Serbian News was located.

In the place of Students’ Square there was Turkish cemetery until the 19th century, then (from 1824) Great Market and from 1927 it is a park. Today it is the University Park, which holds monuments to botanist Josif Pančić and educator Dositej Obradović. In the place of Kapetan – Mišino zdanje, from 1863, there were important cultural and educational institutions of the Principality of Serbia, and today there is the Rector’s Office of the University in Belgrade.

The famous Skadarlija, bohemian quarters often compared to Montmartre of Paris, was built in the late 19th century. It becomes the centre of bohemian art life in 1901, after demolition of the famous tavern „Dardaneli“ on the Square, when artists began to gather here. This is where poet and painter Đura Jakšić lived and died. Today there are famous restaurants here, with good chefs and tambura bands, where guests stay until dawn.

Skadarlija

On the Republic Square, as a unit, there are National Museum and National Theatre. Designed by Konstantin A. Jovanović in 1891, the consruction of what was then the Palace of National Assembly began in 1907, in the spirit of academic traditionalism. In front of the building there is the exceptional sculpture composition Black Horses at Play by Toma Rosandić. The Old Palace, palace of the Obrenović dynasty, was built for the needs of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbia. It belongs to the most beautiful examples of academic architecture of Serbia from 19th century. Today there is the Assembly of the City of Belgrade. In Andrićev venac, the street in which the only Serbian Nobel Prize winer used to live ( and whose apartment today holds a museum exhibition), there is the New Palace. Built as residence for King Petar I Karađorđević, in academic style, with elements of Renaissance and Baroque, today it is the seat of the President of the Republic and is under state protection.

Botanic Garden is a part of the Faculty of Biology of the University of Belgrade, with the status of natural monument of the second category, which preserves in the open area about 300 species of domestic, European and exotic plants.